The invention relates to a busbar arrangement for making electrical contact with at least one semiconductor module, wherein the busbar arrangement has at least two busbars, wherein the busbars are arranged in a mutually overlapping manner at least in an overlap region of the busbar arrangement, wherein the busbars are electrically insulated from one another, wherein the busbars each have at least one web with a connection element, wherein the webs of the busbars are arranged without an overlap. The invention further relates to a converter module with such a busbar arrangement, a semiconductor module and at least one capacitor. The invention further relates to the use of a busbar arrangement of this kind to connect at least one semiconductor module to at least one capacitor.
By virtue of their ability to be able to switch large currents quickly and often, semiconductors need a low-inductance connection to a capacitor. This capacitor is also referred to as a DC link capacitor. Busbars are mostly used to establish the low-inductance connection. In such cases converters for high powers are typically constructed with semiconductor modules, also just referred to as modules, arranged next to one another and switched in parallel. In a typical connection geometry the direct current connections, also referred to as DC+/DC− connections, lie next to one another on one side of the module. To make them suitable for highly-dynamically switched semiconductor chips, a small inductance in the module, and also in the external commutation circuit, is essential. These modules offer the option of a modular converter structure in order to adapt to the power requirements by parallel switching or to adapt to the desired function (different converter phases) by independent load connection.
In such cases a high-grade current symmetry of the parallel-switched semiconductor module is desirable, since the module bearing the highest load defines the power of the parallel circuit. In this case the power of a module should, if possible, be independent of the neighboring independently-driven module. The pairs of direct current connections lying next to one another, i.e. the DC+ and DC− connection, at least make contact with a common DC link circuit busbar system.
A busbar and a busbar pair for a planar module are known from DE 10 2004 060 583 A1. In this invention the busbar has a number of connection tags, each of which has a connection region provided with a drilled hole, wherein each connection tag is formed by means of a slot from an edge area of the busbar and by means of two bent edges such that its connection regions are arranged spaced apart from one another next to one another in a plane parallel to the busbar. Thus the low-inductance planar busbar system of the two busbars is continued into the connection region of the planar module.
A busbar assembly for an inverter module with a power module, a capacitor module with at least one capacitor and a battery, which connects all these components to one another by a busbar, is known from US 2010/0089641 A1. The busbar has a base portion that is coupled electrically to the battery, and a branch busbar portion that extends from the base busbar to the power module and connects this electrically to the capacitor module at points between the base node and the power module.